This is about the divorce of one of Nigeria's prominent pastors from his wife, talking about Pastor Chris Oyakhilome's divorce. From a legal point of view, there is only one instance where a divorce can be granted. This is where the marriage has broken down irretrievably. As in, no mmekwata.
And there are a number of grounds that the court will look at before it grants a petition for a divorce but that is not what I want to dwell on this evening.
First of all I am not a 'Pastoress' o, but I believe that there is a place of tolerance, forgiveness, commitment plus a bunch of other things in marriage. I've watched men of God give marriage counselling to couples and intending couples and how they do not encourage divorce and all that. It got me wondering why any pastor and his wife should get a divorce. I mean, where did all their teachings on marriage fly to? Are they not supposed to practise what they preach?
I'm not interested in what happened, where it happened, why it happened nor how it happened. What am interested in is the fact that there was no breathing room for tolerance, forgiveness, commitment and prayer which is a Christian's most potent weapon.
I believe in wedding anniversaries, in family, in growing old together and in everything that should be done to stay together. I once saw a woman on 700 club who stuck to her husband despite the fact that the man womanised, took drugs and basically neglected her and the children. She had every reason to leave the man but she said that she didn't relent in praying or give up on the man.
Friends and family called her a fool for staying and asked her to quit the marriage, take the kids and leave that good for nothing man but she stuck to her guns and at the end of the day, somehow her husband turned a new leaf.
The man was in tears when he was talking about his past and present life. He said the woman was his life and he would have died if it was not for her. If such a couple were to give you a lecture on marriage, you go listen nau because they've seen it all. You yourself go see your own case as akam case.
Call me old fashioned but I'd rather draw inspiration from such a story abeg.
